Last Name: Hanlagop
Appearance: A rather average gnome, Kiplin doesn't stand out in any particular way.
Race: Deep Gnome / svirfneblin
Age: 42
Height: Below average
Weight: averagel, for his size
Eyes: dark green
Hair: gray
Facial Hair Style: ?long mustache joining cheek-beard and pointing outwards?
Personality Profile: Shy and socially awkward, Kiplin isn't his strongest in a conversation. When in such, he gets nervous, is prone to scratch his head and fidget. He is easily intimidated and doesn't really know how to say "no" when someone asks something from him. Cowardly, Kiplin is more prone to run from a fight than to start one, though is smart enough to know when running away becomes the more lethal option. His encounter with the Illithid have left him terrified of them, as well as left him a permanent stutter.
General Health: Healthy, with few previous injuries. Potentially some mental damage from his less-than-pleasant encounter with the Illithid.
Deity: Callarduran Smoothands (Well, he was whom he was raised to revere to by his parents)
Initial Alignment: Lawful Neutral (a firm believer in the svirfneblin law and an orderly society)
Profession: gem-merchant, construction overseer & arch-engineer, wizard & illusionist
Base Class & Proposed Development: Wizard. All-out Illusionist.
Habits/Hobbies: Studying (magic, architecture, stoneworking, engineering, languages, etc.) Gem-cutting. Talking to his familiar Dilm (when alone and safe), who is a beetle.
Languages: Common, Undercommon, Dwarven, Elven, Arcane, Draconic, Terran, Celestial.
Weapon of Choice: Run and Hide, Magic & Crossbow (in this order)
Background: Kiplin was born to the family of Hanlagop roughly a year after the end of Blackrock War, in which Rockrun was made the home of Tunnelrun and Blackrock Svirfneblin. It was a relatively new family, borne between Ildrin of Tunnelrun, who served as a Scout during the war and Thukvar, who was a Magi of Blackrock. His father encouraged his boy to take the profession of a mage, and to his pride, Kiplin excelled in the arcane arts, tapping into the weave, learning spell after spell and was intellect enough to remember it all. He wasn't without his flaws, though, and was shy and socially awkward. In an attempt to have his boy "man up", his father arranged him to join patrols and missions of the Blackrock Guard to provide support as a mage. One of those patrols went a little bit awry, as they happen upon a group of Illithid. Mind-blasted by the Illithid, Kiplin was inches of having his brain eaten away as the reinforcements arrived, driving the Illithid away. Kiplin was forever changed by that encounter though. He started to stutter and became even more helpless in social interaction. To make things worse, he kept on having nightmares of the horrid tentacles around his head.
To his fortune, Kiplin found the act of spellcasting calming and meditative, and while he could barely make a proper conversation with his stutter, the words of the spells flowed from his lips as always before.
His father gave up with the hopes of his son manning up. Kiplin himself went on about to study architecture, construction, stone-working and engineering, alongside his still continuing magical studies and languages (since not all tomes are conveniently written in Gnome...). He also worked some time with the gemcutters, and wherever he didn't have to talk to people.
During his youth, Kiplin had a crush upon a charming little svirfneblin lady name Derdrass. They exchanged eachother shy smiles in their youth. Some years passed after the illithid accident and Kiplin managed to muster the courage to ask Derdrass for a date under the Lightouched Gardens. It didn't go exactly as he had hoped, and ended up with the her calling him a coward and left.
Time went on. As Rockrun open it doors to the occasional adventurer, it was also briefly discuss whether the drow of Sshamanth should be traded with, to acquire rare ingredients and other things the svirfneblin could not produce themselves. Kiplin volunteered to go, to everyone's surprise, but he managed to argue his point that the drow city ruled by wizards, so he to would be held in higher regard, as a wizard himself. Not seeing any fault in the argument, they let him go with some gems to trade with.
Kiplin, himself, wanted distance to his brethren and most importantly, to Derdrass. Her words still pained his heart, being in love with her, and he considered himself a failure. Going to the Drow city, he hoped, he could maybe gain in courage by dealing with the terrifying drow, and to advance his magical study.
Upon reaching Sshamath, it didn't take Kiplin long to get scammed in one trade, and losing the rest of his money and gems to an illithid merchant, getting over-nervous and buying the wrong things, some spell scrolls, and then even failing to learn them.
--Entered Roleplaying--
Wallowing in his misery, unable to return to Rockrun empty handed, and having nothing left to sell, Kiplin spent the last of his money upon a crossbow and took upon the task of hunting beetles and bring their pincers for a local drow. Most often, it ended up with him fleeing for his life from myconid (that emerged at the worst possible moment from among the mushroom forest). He also ran some errands to the Duergar, whenever they needed something fetched from the Darkspire.
One day, returning from yet another pincer hunt, a female drow wizard (whom he had stumbled a couple times before) dragged him along as she and her associates delved deep into the wilds of the Underdark, to accomplish tasks and requests from the denizen of Sshamath. Terrified to boot but unable to say "no", Kiplin joined upon the task and provided whatever meager magical assistance (and horribly inaccurate shots with his shaking hands) he was able to muster. From a cavern to another, slaying goblin tribes, collecting mushrooms, hunting basilisk eggs, finding a lost plate of importance for a svirfneblin, confronting a Drider who had stolen an idol from the temple of Lloth, Kiplin hanged along to the ride and had the "critical role" of throwing a vial of alchemist fire gifted to him by one of the Drow upon the Drider, finishing it off.
Returning to Sshamath and collecting the rewards for the tasks, Kiplin was shaken to the boot. The group whom had dragged him along congratulated him of a job well done, though personally Kiplin thinks that the two Drow and the Dwarf had dragged him along just to have the delight of seeing his terrified face and his pathetic whimpering being music to their ears. Still, he got his part of the reward.
After several drinks and a good while to calm down, Kiplin bought the things he was originally supposed to trade his gems for.. Finally able to return to his hometown without losing his face, Kiplin ventured into the tunnels of the Underdark, but with an intention to return. He is still far from finding his courage, or the credibility as an illusionist, merchant or anything else to dare to ask upon Derdrass hand again.
((thanks for Aniarthe Dy'neren, Manus Schelanbrettz, and ?Istlyn? for grabbing me along for the quest-run!))
Goals:
-Not die, or be eaten alive by Drow, Illithid or any other meanie of the Underdark.
-Become an accomplished illusionist and wizard to benefit the svirfneblin community of Rockrun.
-Become less of a coward, to win over the heart of Derdrass.
Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts:
-The merchant who initially scammed most of Kiplin's gems is still out there somewhere, though Kiplin doesn't have the courage to pursue it, blaming himself for the failure with the trade.
-Perhaps the Illithid did never left his mind, and their presence still lurks somewhere behind, influencing his actions subtly?
